KENILWORTH, New Jersey--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada, today announced the first issuance of USD 1 billion sustainable development bonds. It is a part of the US$8 billion underwriting public offering of notes that ends on December 10, 2021.

Merck's environmental, social and governance (ESG) work is based on core values, which have always guided the company's mission, which is to invent life, be responsible for patients and animals in need of drugs and vaccines, and respect and tolerate And the employees responsible for it. The company’s 130-year tradition is based on the understanding that operating responsibly, providing health services to the patients and communities it serves, investing in and training company employees, and reducing the impact on the environment are the foundations for success and long-term business. Persistent.

Caroline Litchfield, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, said: "Today's announcement is an important step in further integrating ESG into the core of our business, accelerating the realization of our ESG goals, measuring our progress, and continuing to be transparent." Merck.

Merck intends to use the net proceeds from the bond issuance to support the company's priority ESG projects and partnerships, and to contribute to the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These company projects and partnerships include:

This bond transaction is in line with Merck's new sustainable financing framework, which helps companies use sustainable capital markets to finance or refinance eligible projects that meet their ESG commitments. The framework involves the core components and key recommendations of the Social Bond Principles (2021), Green Bond Principles (2021), and Sustainable Bond Guidelines (2021), all of which are managed by the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA). VE, an affiliate of Moody's, provided a second party opinion (SPO) on Merck's sustainable financing framework.

Merck has pledged to report annually the distribution of net bond income and actual expenditures by social and/or environmental categories, as well as the remaining balance of undistributed income. Where feasible, Merck will report estimated social and/or environmental quantitative impact indicators and provide qualitative case studies of eligible projects. For eligible social projects, Merck will seek to report impact indicators by target population to show how spending can increase visits to said target population.

For more information on Merck’s ESG performance, policies and initiatives, please view the company’s 2020/2021 ESG progress report.

For more than 130 years, Merck (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada) has been inventing life, providing medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We increase access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs, and partnerships, as a testament to our commitment to the health of patients and the population. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research in the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten humans and animals—including infectious diseases such as cancer, HIV and Ebola, as well as emerging animal diseases—because we aspire to be the premier research-intensive organism Pharmaceutical companies in the world. For more information, please visit www.merck.com and contact us via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-looking statements of Merck & Co., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA

This press release from Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA (the "Company") includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For example, the statement may include, but is not limited to, a statement about the distribution of sustainable bond proceeds among eligible projects. These statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of the company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If basic assumptions prove to be inaccurate or risks or uncertainties become reality, actual results may differ materially from the results stated in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); pharmaceutical industry regulations and healthcare legislation in the United States and International impact; global trends in health care cost control; technological advancements, new products and patents acquired by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approvals; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or Delays; financial instability and sovereign risks in the international economy; reliance on the effectiveness of the protection of company patents and other innovative products; and facing litigation, including patent litigation and/or regulatory actions.

The company assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements due to new information, future events or other reasons. Other factors that may cause the results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company's 2020 annual report 10-K and other documents filed by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the Internet site (www.sec. gov).

Media: Melissa Moody (215) 407-3536 Investor: Peter Dannenbaum (908) 740-1037 Steven Graziano (908) 740-6582

Merck issues USD 1 billion first sustainability bond

Media: Melissa Moody (215) 407-3536 Investor: Peter Dannenbaum (908) 740-1037 Steven Graziano (908) 740-6582